Just because something doesn’t last forever doesn’t mean it can’t be remembered forever.
Earlier this week, Chet Strout was at Haley’s Wine & Spirits, located on Washington Street in Marblehead, selling commemorative T-shirts of his old business in town, Chet’s Video and Candy Shoppe, which closed six years ago.
Chet’s Video, a video-rental and candy store, shut its doors after 25 years in 2017. It was a rarity in Marblehead and once held the title as the last standing video-rental store on the North Shore.
Better yet, Strout’s store almost outlasted the entire Blockbuster brand, which, in the same year Chet’s closed, fell to only one remaining store in Bend, Ore., which is still open.
Opening in 1992, Chet’s became a town favorite, drawing in regular customers and serving those looking to create an at-home movie-theater experience.
Strout said that the idea to sell commemorative shirts came to him no more than a month ago, and after being encouraged to do so, he found a company that could print shirts in just a few weeks.
On the front of the navy blue shirt are the words ‘Chet’s Video’ with a graphic of a movie film wrapping around a bucket of popcorn. On the back is a Chet’s Video sign.
Underneath the sign, it reads “Thanks for 25 years! 1992-2017.”
He said that he had about 50 shirts ordered, not counting on them selling out quickly. But that’s exactly what happened. By the end of Monday, most of the shirts had gone, with just a handful left over.
But even those were scooped up by late morning on Tuesday.
Strout said he was “flattered” with the amount of interest in the shirts. He plans to order more shirts for those who didn’t have a chance to grab one and will post more dates when they become available.
Those looking to buy from the next batch can pre-order them through Venmo at $25 each, according to Chet’s Video’s Facebook page.
